Swings, Hits, and Misses

I was out on vacation last week, so here is a quick round up of recent goings on in Missouri that relate to my work here. And I use the term “work” loosely, recognizing that research and writing on subjects I love at a think tank ain’t exactly mining coal, smelting steel, or loading a barge. (That last part is a shout-out to one of our regular commenters; you know who you are.)

Last week, Jefferson City voters passed a hotel tax increase. This is one tax increase for a city that will be paid by all the people of Missouri, because so much hotel business in Jeff City is state-related. I guess, from the perspective of a Jeffersonian (or is it Jeff Citian?), it makes sense to raise this tax. But that does not mean it is good policy to raise taxes on other people to pay for something (a conference center) that is not a core responsibility of government. So that one counts as an out. …

Nuclear power is being hotly debated in the state capitol, as well. It would be excellent for our state to increase our use of nuclear power, and that depends on changes to existing CWIP financing regulations currently being debating in the legislature. This would be a home run (and this post is quickly running the risk of analogy overuse).

A bill to decrease the number of state representatives is being discussed in a House hearing tomorrow. This is a terrific idea that we have discussed before, and I hope it gets a fair hearing and due consideration. This would be about a double. …

Just because it (almost) fits with the title.